Re-Using Candle Jars

I will readily admit that I am a candle-holic however I’ve always hated wasting the burnt candles. But no more! A few months back, I started collecting my old 3-wick candles and burning them up and trying to figure out what I wanted to/could do with them. I found several craft ideas for used up candles, found out it was relatively easy to clean and re-purpose them and decided to put my own sparkly spin on it.

Instructions:

Burn your candle down as low as you can, then put the candle in the freezer overnight to loosen up the leftover wax.

The next day (or in my case several days later because I forgot) take the knife and dig out the wax by cutting into the center of the candle, then breaking the pieces up around the edges of the candle.

Put hot (not boiling) water in your cup, and pour it into the candle glass – this is to loosen up any extra glue or wax left over (it will also make it easier to take the wicks out if they didn’t come out with the wax itself). Let it sit for about a minute, then pour out the water and scrape out the rest of the wax and glue.

Pull off any labels, put some of the Nail Polish Remover on your sponge/cotton pad and wipe away the excess sticky bits of label gunk off of the glass (a plus of this is it cleans the glass as it goes).

Once your glass is completely clean, get your Mod Podge and paint brush and paint a layer of the Mod Podge onto the inside of the glass – trying to cover the entirety of the inside and also trying to keep the layer of Mod Podge as even as possible.

Once the inside is completely coated, get your glitter and pour a large amount (about ⅓ of the glitter) into the candle. Coat the entire inside of the candle with the glitter. The easiest way to coat the inside is pouring the glitter into the bottom of the glass and turning the glass on its side and spreading the glitter that way.

Once you’re satisfied with the amount of glitter on the inside of the glass, set it upside down onto your cloth and tap the sides to get the excess glitter out of the glass.

Here’s where you can finish, if you’d like.

The Mod Podge will dry clear so all you’ll be able to see is the lovely glittery inside. But, if you’re like me and need more glitter in your life, wait a few hours (for the inside to dry up a bit) and coat the outside of the glass with Mod Podge and repeat steps 6 & 7.

Once you are 100% pleased with your glitter levels, place your glittery masterpiece in a clean dry space to dry overnight.

Once everything is completely dry, you can cement all of the glitter in with a glitter sealant (available at craft stores, and is generally next to or near the glitter and Mod Podge) and fill it up with whatever you’d like!

These make for great brush holders, random objects on your desk holders, and they make great gifts. All of my friends should be expecting these from me for the next year or so.

What do you like to re-purpose/re-use? Tell us in the comments below or on our Facebook Page.

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